I tend to agree with him. The use of kowtow is an unfortunate choice, bringing with it a slew of colonial associations, but on the whole his criticisms are not unfair. Cinquatta has abused his privilege and power; anonymous judging is indefensible; judges with conflict of interest should not be on panels deciding the most prestigious prizes in the sport; there's no reason why all program lengths should not be the same.

It is beyond tiresome that every time someone points these problems out, he/she/they are accused of Russia bashing by someone on here. Beyond tiresome.

I agree with this. So well said, Weakankles.

I get tired of the apologists who deny that anything is wrong and cannot see what most people see and why the sport is thought "corrupt" to the point of being beyond salvation or worth watching in North America. The defenders can defend what is going on all they want. The vast majority of people in the public are not listening anymore. People have generally voted on the issue by disregarding figure skating as a sport.

For anyone who can't figure out that North American money is not going to be flowing anytime soon into figure skating, just read the article. Like it or lump it, most people agree with the drift of what Hersh has written and are beyond fed up. Consider it as a fact that people generally think that way even if you disagree with what they agree with.

The only people left watching this sport are either 1) the few diehards who appreciate the skates and can separate the scores from the skates, or 2) the apologists who want the status quo and say that the scores are legitimate, and who have no problem with the corruption. (Sorry, not sorry.)

The only upside for this is that if you come to the skating events in North America, it won't be difficult to get tickets. The downside is that you need be sure to buy a ticket because you won't be watching it live on television. If you want to know why, read the Hersh article. It sets out the reason why people here are en masse voting with their pocket books with an empathic "THUMBS DOWN". It lists the main reasons why the sport cannot pass the smell test.

For those who think that anonymous judging is not an issue, the problem that many people have with that is that without transparency, no one is going to believe anything that the ISU does or says. That may surprise the apologists but it should not surprise anyone. Credibility has to be seen through credible conduct not promised on the basis of hidden actions. I trust someone as being honest who I see doing an honest act, not on the basis of speculation or on the basis of what Cinquanta says. Judges have to be answerable to the public, not just to themselves personally.

Without transparency, there is no way to rebut a reasonable presumption that the scoring is corrupt.

Here is a newsflash for the apologists: If the sport is going to ever be flush with cash again, it has to improve its reputation in North America. But instead of improving its reputation, IT IS AND CONTINUES TO LOSE GROUND IN NORTH AMERICA ON THE BASIS OF BEING CORRUPT. What happened at the Olympics has had a negative effect. (For those who disagree about the effect of the Olympics on the reputation of the sport, I want to smoke whatever they are smoking.) And for those who don't like how the North Americans are reacting en masse, most North Americans don't care. They are not watching anymore and they are not going to pay for it anymore.

Fix the sport. Get rid of Cinquanta, get rid of anonymous judging, and get rid of judges at events where there is a conflict of interest. Start with what is obvious to everyone except the wilfully blind. Or don't. Other than the few diehards (of which I am one), most people have moved on and don't expect any changes to be made ever. Those who like the sport the way that it is, well basically it is becoming all yours and yours alone. Well done.

I think it's up the skaters (and their support teams) to adapt to the prevailing system if they want to win. Personally, I think a scoring system with clear rules and guidelines is better for everyone involved.

Which system do you believe has the clearer rules and guidelines?

I agree that the COP, though not perfect and still evolving, is better for the participants. As for the fans, they are divided, with different reasons and opinions. For some, COP becomes the dumping grounds for frustrations and displeasure with the results as well as the governing system even if the real causes are extrinsic of the scoring

Personally, I think the biggest difference is between fans who think that the performances we are seeing under the IJS are worse than the performances that we saw under the old system, and those who don't think that. Some fans say Hanyu was great at Sochi -- look at all the CoP points he got! Others say, the boy fell down twice (!) and won only because no one else did any better.

Yes, Yuzuru and the others "adapted to the prevailing system." The question remains, is this good or bad?

About anonymous judging, Werner makes the clever observation that Mrs. S. kind of gave up her own anonymity (to urbi et orbi ) in terms of which judge supported which skater by her actions immediately following the ladies free program at Sochi. He then proceeds to spin a tale about a meeting in Moscow where Mr. Piseev bullied representatives from former SSRs to vote down the proposal to eliminate anonymous judging leaving Russia itself on the side of the angles.

Most interesting, though, is Mr. Werner's account of a challenge based on European Union age-discrimination laws that could allow Mr. Cinquanta to serve as ISU president forever, or at least well past the ISU Constitution's requirement that he step down in 2014 -- oops, I mean 2016 (doggone that pesky constitution anyway).